Kai Erikson

The New England Puritans had a unique society and government that impacted the foundation of the United States. A few Puritans left England in order to form an experimental society to prove that living by the Bible and following Puritan beliefs were the way to live a righteous life. Throughout this experiment the Puritans were subject to three major conflicts that challenged and reshaped their beliefs: the Antinomian controversy, the Quaker invasion, and the witches of Salem Village. Erikson uses these three conflicts in New England Puritan history to illustrate that deviance is a necessary and helpful aspect of society. By punishing those deviants on the outskirts of society the Puritans are able to reinforce the appropriate standards of life.

Erikson does a wonderful job explaining the sociology of deviance in New England Puritan society while making it applicable to other societies throughout history. The examination of deviance in Puritan society illuminates how deviance is an important part of culture. Anyone interested in deviance would be interested in this book, especially if history interests you as well.… (more)

Based on Erikson's involvement in a lawsuit. The goal was to show that the survivors of the Buffalo Creek disaster had lost the defining connective elements of their original community as a result of 1) shock related to how awful the experience of the flood was, and 2) how poorly the post-disaster recovery was handled. The book seems freshly interesting post-Katrina, but is also flawed in certain ways (most particularly for me, the fact that Erikson's sample was so clearly biased). An interesting albeit somewhat dated study; worth reading.… (more)